Ancalagon
Ancalagon, also known as Ancalagon the Black, was the greatest of all winged dragons. He was bred by Morgoth during the First Age and was the largest dragon to have ever existed in Middle-earth. His appearance in history was restricted to the War of Wrath. Biography ] After Eärendil made his journey to Valinor to convince the Valar to overthrow Morgoth and rescue the overmatched and defeated Elves and Edain, The Host of Valinor made war upon Morgoth and destroyed his armies. Facing final defeat, Morgoth unleashed his last and greatest weapon; a fleet of winged fire drakes, led by Ancalagon. So terrible was their onslaught that the armies of the Valar were driven back from the gates of Angband, and their coming was said to have been accompanied by a tempest of fire and lightning. But Eärendil came out of the West in his blessed ship Vingilot, accompanied by "a myriad" of the Eagles of Manwë led by Thorondor. The Eagles and Eärendil dueled with Ancalagon and the other Dragons for an entire day. Eventually, Eärendil was victorious, casting Ancalagon down upon Thangorodrim and destroying the volcanic mountains in his fall. The death of Ancalagon marked the end of Morgoth's final resistance.The Silmarillion,'' Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIV: "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath" Later mentions Gandalf spoke of him as he told Frodo the true origin of his Ring. "It has been said that dragon-fire could melt and consume the Rings of Power, but there is not now any dragon left on earth in which the old fire is hot enough; nor was there ever any dragon, not even Ancalagon the Black, who could have harmed the One Ring, the Ruling Ring, for that was made by Sauron himself."The Lord of the Rings,'' The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter II: "The Shadow of the Past" Etymology The name Ancalagon is Sindarin, meaning "Rushing Jaws" from anca ("jaws") and the root alak-'' ("rushing").The Silmarillion, Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin names Other names The Middle English translation for 'Ancalagon' is '''Andracca', from and-'' ("opposition"), ''anda ("hatred, envy"), and draca ("dragon").The History of Middle-earth, Vol. IV: The Shaping of Middle-earth, III: "The Quenta", Appendix 1: Translation of Quenta Noldorinwa into Old English Character Ancalagon's size is not specified, but must have been colossal due to the destruction of "the towers of Thangorodrim" when he fell on them, which are elsewhere identified with the three smoking peaks of those mountains.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIV: "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath" However, his size cannot be assumed to be larger than Thangorodrim; some powerful but comparatively small creatures are able to cause great destruction even in death, such as Durin's Bane breaking the slopes of Celebdil. Like all other Urulóki, Ancalagon breathed fire, which was implied to be hotter than any other dragon's flame.The Lord of the Rings,'' The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter II: "The Shadow of the Past" Trivia *In 1977, an extinct genus of worms found in the The Walcott Quarry on Fossil Ridge in 1911 dating from the Middle Cambrian Era from the Cambrian Burgess Shale was named ''Ancalagon, inspired by Tolkien's dragon.http://burgess-shale.rom.on.ca/en/fossil-gallery/view-species.php?id=96#age Gallery Translations References ca:Ancàlagon de:Ancalagon es:Ancalagon fr:Ancalagon it:Ancalagon il Nero nl:Ancalagon pl:Ancalagon ru:Анкалагон sk:Ancalagon Category:Sindarin words Category:Villains Category:Dragons Category:Servants of Morgoth Category:The Silmarillion Characters Category:Characters in The History of Middle-earth Category:Deaths in Battle